117 



ventrals laterally edged with black; subcaudals edged with 

 black or entirely black. Young specimens with yellowish or 

 orange narrow transverse bars, widening towards the belly, 

 the anterior interrupted on the vertebral line and alternating. 

 Length of head and body 1200 mm.; tail 320 mm. 

 Habitat: Batjan; Halmahera; Morotai!; Ambon!. 



4. Stegonotus plumbeus (Macleay). 



Herbertophis plumbeus^ Macleay, Pioc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. VIII 1884, p. 434. 

 Slego/io/us .- plumbeus^ Boulenger, Cat. Sn. I 1893, p. 368. 

 Stegonotus plumbeus^ Longman, Mem. Queensl. Mus. II 19 13, p. 41. 

 Stegonotus plumbeus^ Boulenger, Trans. Zool. Soc. London XX 19 14, p. 264. 



Rostral almost twice as broad as deep, visible from above; 

 internasals two thirds as long as the praefrontals; frontal short 

 and broad, as long as its distance from the rostral, shorter 

 than the parietals; loreal oblong; two prae- and two postoculars; 

 temporals 2 -f 3 ; nine upper labials, third to fifth entering 

 the eye; five lower labials in contact with the anterior chin- 

 shields; latter longer than the posterior. Scales in 17 rows; 

 ventrals 211 — 219; anal entire; subcaudals 67 — 74 pair. 



Leaden-black above, uniform; scales on the sides white- 

 edged. Lower surface yellowish-white; lateral ventral keel yellow, 

 each ventral with a dark brown spot on each side of the keel; 

 subcaudals with a black patch on their base. Length of head 

 and body 1183 mm.; tail 257 mm. 



Habitat: S. New Guinea (Setekwa river!). — Queensland 

 (Herbert river). 



5. Stegonotus giintheri Boulenger. 



Stegonotus Guentheri^ Boulenger, Ann. Nat. Hist. (6) XVI 1895, p. 31. 



Rostral much more broad than deep, visible from above; 

 internasals shorter than the praefrontals; frontal as long as its 

 distance from the rostral, much shorter than the parietals; 

 loreal about twice as long as deep; one prae- and two post- 

 oculars; temporals i + 2; eight upper labials, fourth and fifth 

 entering the eye; four or five lower labials in contact with 

 the anterior chin-shields; latter longer than the posterior. Scales 

 in 15 rows; ventrals (176) 180 — 197; anal entire; subcaudals 

 in) 75 pair. 



Black or dark brown above, paler on the sides; upper lip 



